At Least This Hasn't Happened Here: The Muting Mayor

From the Los Angeles Times:

D.A. launches inquiry into Carson mayor's use of a mute button

 

February 9, 2010

 

Carson's mayor has a tool that almost any politician would love to have: a mute button. If someone talks too much at a City Council meeting, with a flick of the finger, the microphone goes dead.

 

But after receiving a complaint that Mayor Jim Dear was shutting people down because he didn't like what they were saying, rather than waiting until they had used up their allotted three minutes of free speech time, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office is looking into whether he has violated the state's open meetings law.

 

"It's a very unique complaint," said David Demerjian, who heads the district attorney's Public Integrity Division. "I have never heard of a mute button being used by a mayor of any city in the county of Los Angeles."

Here's the complete story.

Comments

[Is that democracy?]

Sounds just like the school board who just turns off the microphone if they don't want to hear what you have to say. They must be friends since Trustee Bryson knows "everyone".

[Capoguy]

Seems we already have a built in mute button where it is MOST damaging. Nielsen appointed most of the commission members when he was mayor and these committee members understand that if they disagree with a council member at a meeting or in the paper,they will face being publicly humiliated or let go. Allevato reminds them that they serve at the pleasure of the council.
Do you recall that Allevato didn't want Mr. Murphy even on a commission because Murphy had criticized the council in some letter? How about when Allevato was critical of another commissioner and made veiled threats that she should be removed or "talked to" because of a letter she wrote.

We have a "ruling class" right now on council that already appointed their czars and as long as the czars do as council wants them to or they agree with the way council wants things then there no problems.